Sunday, September 20, 2026

A federal judge in Colorado ordered US authorities to arrange the return of Brian Omar Sánchez, a Honduran deported to the Central African Republic, and gave them until September 25 to respond.

An international solidarity delegation urged Honduras to enforce four Inter-American Court of Human Rights rulings in favor of Garifuna communities, orders that have gone unimplemented for years.

Seven JICA volunteers will spend two years in Gracias, Santa Lucía, San Juan, and Marcala on health, education, and environmental projects meant to deepen cooperation and knowledge-sharing between the two countries.

Congressman Sabillón said the National Congress is likely to pass a cybersecurity law in the coming days.

Honduras's Energy Ministry announced price increases across fuel products effective September 21, with premium gasoline up L4.57 a gallon in Tegucigalpa and kerosene up L4.69, raising costs for drivers and businesses nationwide.

Also reported by: La Prensa, Televicentro, HCH, Radio América

An economist warns that the Central Bank of Honduras's move to raise its policy rate to 6% will quickly drive up the interest rates commercial banks charge, increasing borrowing costs for consumers and businesses.

A former president of Honduras's economists' association said the government's decision to raise the fuel subsidy from 50% to 65% deserves scrutiny given global oil prices above $100 a barrel, and warned that prolonged subsidies strain public finances.

Presidential Designate Carlos Flores announced that 16 institutions, former Security Minister Julián Pacheco Tinoco, and media partners including Radio América have agreed to push a road-safety project aimed at cutting traffic deaths.

Fires, illegal logging, and beetle infestations wipe out 60,000 to 70,000 hectares of forest each year, badly damaging Honduras's timber industry, according to government sources and the country's largest forestry company.

A severe drought has destroyed the corn and bean harvests of roughly 2,000 farming families in Cantarranas, Francisco Morazán, prompting the mayor to seek emergency aid as farmers fear losing the fall planting season as well.

The parents of Cristhian Mendoza accepted his posthumous journalism degree, awarded Cum Laude by the National Autonomous University of Honduras, 20 days after he died in a traffic accident in Alubarén, Francisco Morazán.

Streets in the Kennedy neighborhood of Tegucigalpa flooded on September 19 after heavy downpours hit the capital.

Also reported by: HCH

The municipality of Las Vegas in Santa Bárbara declared an emergency after recent rains damaged 82 homes and affected some 70 families, with more rain forecast raising the threat of flooding, landslides, and swollen rivers.

Honduras's midsummer dry spell (canícula) is ending, and the National Center for Atmospheric Studies forecasts steady rain across the country in the days ahead.

An Ozuna concert at the National Autonomous University of Honduras will bring partial road restrictions on Boulevard Suyapa from Friday through Sunday, September 20, with traffic still flowing elsewhere along the route.

Also reported by: Radio América Honduras

More than 51,000 Hondurans have been returned from the United States so far this year—already more than in all of 2025—prompting officials and organizations to weigh declaring a migration emergency and mounting a national response.

A 50-year-old merchant was rescued alive in a mountainous area of Santa Rita, Copán, after being held for several days by kidnappers who demanded 2 million lempiras (about $80,000).

Also reported by: Once Noticias

Military police arrested Nelson Antonio Gómez Licona and Carlos David Portillo Rivera in Chamelecón, seizing cocaine, crack, marijuana, and 14,600 lempiras (about $585) in cash during separate operations.

Honduras's campaign finance watchdog, the UFTF, fined former Liberal presidential candidate Salvador Nasralla for campaign funding irregularities, prompting allies to allege political persecution while anti-corruption officials defended the decision.

Also reported by: Criterio.hn, Once Noticias

Honduras was elected for the first time to the OAS Board of Governors for 2026–2028, expanding its role in the organization's decision-making.

Honduras's anti-corruption chief has called for negotiations among prosecutors, ZEDE representatives, and authorities on how to enforce a Supreme Court ruling that declared the special economic zones unconstitutional, as the attorney general weighs legal action if operations continue.

Honduras's Supreme Court has opened a review of 128 positions across the judiciary to confirm that the appointments followed proper procedures and to regularize staffing.

Also reported by: Radio América Honduras

The Central Bank of Honduras auctioned $83.8 million on September 18, setting an average exchange rate of L26.8904 per dollar for September 19–21.

Honduras has taken in more than $8 billion in family remittances so far in 2026, shoring up international reserves and macroeconomic stability, though an economist warns that reliance on these flows leaves the economy exposed to shifts in migration policy or conditions for Hondurans abroad.

Honduras's jobless population rose from 211,015 in 2025 to 290,314 in 2026—an increase of nearly 80,000—prompting analysts to warn of the need for investment and productivity measures.

Honduras's tax authority is letting taxpayers settle overdue obligations without penalties, interest, or surcharges under Decree 07-2026, an offer that runs through October 12.

The national power company ENEE will cut electricity to a residential circuit in San Pedro Sula's Bellavista neighborhood on Monday, September 21, from 8:45 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. for scheduled line maintenance.

The electricity regulator CREE will hold a public hearing on September 22 for Utila Power Company customers to review and comment on a proposed interim rate structure for the island's isolated power system.

Tegucigalpa's mayor announced a revised water-distribution calendar after below-normal September rainfall, and said the city will bring 15 new wells online by October and press ahead with the San José dam to build reserves for the coming dry season.

Guatemala is investigating a sudden reddening of the Las Vacas River linked to possible industrial discharge or sewage, and Honduran experts warn that contamination flowing into the Motagua River endangers coastal areas like Omoa, where sewage-borne waste has piled up for years.

Garífuna community members have set up a protest camp on Cayos Cochinos to oppose the Spanish reality show Supervivientes All Stars, citing damage to marine habitat and to hawksbill turtle nesting during the critical breeding season, despite the production's legal permits and annual payments of more than 15 million lempiras.

The National Vocational Training Institute (INFOP) is offering more than 100 online courses to Hondurans living abroad, widening access to professional development for the diaspora.

Heavy rains in the municipality of Las Vegas, Santa Bárbara, have flooded areas and overflowed rivers, prompting a green alert for the department and a yellow alert for Las Vegas, with some families evacuated to safety.

Honduran Major League Baseball player Mauricio Dubón wore custom cleats bearing the national flag during an Atlanta Braves game and will auction them to raise money for the 1,000 Schools Foundation, which builds and renovates schools in rural communities.

Honduran winger Luis Palma made his Europa League debut for Polish club Lech Poznań against Crystal Palace, becoming the first player from Honduras to appear in the main stages of the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League.

The National Defense and Security Council designated three criminal organizations as terrorist associations in an overnight meeting at the presidential palace on September 18, with the groups' names to be released once enforcement begins.

Also reported by: La Prensa, TuNota (Canal 5 / TSI), Once Noticias, HCH

Yulissa Mejía, 24, was shot and killed on September 18 when armed men stormed a billiards hall in the Baracoa sector of Cortés and opened fire; police are investigating the motive and searching for suspects.

Also reported by: El Heraldo